My Celtic goose art plus goose myth & meaning explored...

The farmyard goose was once widespread across Britain and Ireland – equally so its wild ancestor, the Greylag Goose.

The name is thought to relate to the fact that this grey goose ‘lagged’ behind other geese at migration time and was one of the last to leave for migration. Another suggestion is that it was originally the ‘grey-legged goose’ but since its legs aren’t grey, but orange, I feel this theory is unlikely.

Even in the earliest times, geese were seen as special. In Ancient Egypt, the goose “was the Sun as it emerged from the primeval egg” (Albert Champdour, Le Livre des Morts) – a solar bird-god that laid the golden egg (the sun) each morning.

Pharoahs who identified with the sun were shown with their souls in the shape of a goose. And when a new pharaoh was proclaimed, four wild geese were released to the four corners of the Earth to tell the gods of the new earthly ruler. So the Egyptians saw the goose as a messenger between heaven and earth.

A rare opportunity to purchase one of my beautiful original wildlife drawings - something special to cherish or a personal and thoughtful way to mark a celebration for a loved one...
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• One-off original drawings (not prints)
• Each comes with a mount and backing board in soft white
• Overall size 10 x 8" (to fit a 10 x 8" frame)
• Artwork size is approximately 8 x 6" (19.5cm x 14cm)
• Cream card with pen/marker drawings

Starlings have got to be one of our most beautiful native British birds, with stunning, iridescent greens and purples in their glossy black feathers and tiny ‘stars’ of glittering white…

They are also graceful birds, with stunning balletic displays in flights of ‘murmurations’ when thousands of birds take to the skies in swirling, mesmerising unison.
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I’ve been so lucky, this winter, to see some close to home as the starlings group together for safety in huge roosts at dusk and trace their meandering route across the skies to these roosts, with their impressive murmurations.

Celtic-inspired fieldfares art by Lotti Brown...

I was inspired to create my fieldfare artwork by seeing flocks of this beautiful winter bird in the fields where I take my morning dog walks.
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This is a bird that I feel very fondly towards, as it’s a bird that I used to see often as a child, in the flat fields of Lincolnshire and the cold winters of the 1970s – my classroom window looked out onto the fields and I could watch fields of lapwings and fieldfares as I sat at my lessons.

Celtic-inspired swans artwork by Lotti Brown.

My Celtic swans artwork was inspired by this graceful symbol of inner beauty and true love.

Swans are a frequent theme in Celtic legend and folklore – we currently have around 200 whooper swans wintering in the wetlands of the Lower Derwent Valley National Nature Reserve, close to my home, and often see and hear the swans flying over. In years gone by, up to 300 Bewick’s swans would over-winter in the area – in Celtic times, the numbers of swans both here and in the Celtic strongholds of Wales and Ireland must have been even greater – a real feature in Celtic life and not surprising they feature in so many tales.

We all know the story of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake – a story drawn from Russian and European folktales of a princess enchanted to be a swan...
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And European folklore is filled with princesses and maidens who are turned into swans – often as punishment!

Beautiful Celtic-inspired barn owl art print...

My barn owl artwork is inspired by the beautiful and ethereal snowy-white barn owls that we often see in the fields near home.

​In late winter, we sometimes see them around dawn and dusk – but sometimes, even in full daylight, quartering the fields and hunting for mice to feed their chicks, recently hatched.

Even in sunlight the barn owl seems to have an otherworldly and somewhat ghostly presence – a pallor that’s outside of our everyday world.

In folklore, the owl is often associated with the Otherworld and darkness – but also with being clear-sighted, all-knowing, and wise.

The owl is associated with the goddess of wisdom – Athena in the Greek tradition, Sulis in the Celtic tradition, and Minerva for the Romans. Sulis was the Celtic goddess of justice, echoing the perception of the owl’s knowing wisdom.
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In the Celtic legend the ‘Quest for Olwen’, the owl is encountered as one of the five oldest beasts on Earth, symbolising the owl’s ancient knowledge and enduring wisdom.

Enjoy a cool 35% off wall art in my Society6 store this week, including:

• art prints
• framed art prints
• wall hangings
• posters
• canvas prints
• mini framed art prints
• mini art prints
• metal prints
• wood wall art

Art makes an ideal gift for someone special!

No coupon code is necessary - the discount is already displayed and automatically applied.

Offer is for this week only - ends Sunday 15th March 2020 at 11.59PM PT

Shop for wall art in the Lotti Brown Society6 store now...

Make mum smile this year with great Mother's Day gift ideas to bring delight and happiness to this special family day...

Mother's Day is in March in the UK and Ireland, while in USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand it falls in June.

I've got some lovely gift ideas to please mum, whether you're making a special trip to see her, enjoying family time together, or simply posting a thoughtful gift with your love...
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These beautiful silky scarves are lovely and large with gorgeously soft, lightweight fabric that drapes and flows like real silk - incredibly stylish and beautiful!

The colours are vivid with a slightly transparent effect so that the colours are visible both sides of the scarf.

Just to let you know that my Etsy store is now fully restocked with:

• archival-quality art prints (full range now available)
• a small selection of greetings cards - blank inside for any occasion

Check out LottiBrownArt at Etsy here...

If you'd like to hear about Lotti Brown's new art, product news plus creative articles and courses, please sign up below - newsletter comes out around once each month...

Colourful sparrows art by Lotti Brown...

My sweet sparrows art was inspired by the sparrows in my own garden - we have a little flock of about 12 house sparrows, male and female, who feed (virtually all day, every day) at the feeder in our plum tree.

I think they might live in there too, as the plum tree is thick with ivy and creepers and it's safe for them to hide out or roost. 

They perch across all the branches of the tree, like fluttering decorations, keeping watch and taking turns...

They're so funny to see with their swift, twittering arguments around the feeder. We even had once hanging completely upside down at the feeder to stop being bombarded from his mates from the ferns beneath...

It was quite effective until the little birds got wise and while he was still hanging upside down, they swooped down from above to oust him from the feeder. I haven't seen him try it again since!